On behalf of the Park in the Street organizing team, I would like to issue a heartfelt thank you to the community of Montpelier for the overwhelming support it showed June 21. Our attendance counters tallied just over 9,000 visitors — a number that far exceeded expectations.

The goal of the Park in the Street was to feature Montpelier’s businesses and community in a fun, creative and innovative fashion. We had over two dozen area businesses and organizations transform parking spots into urban parks for the day. They engaged with the attendees in a wide variety of creative ways, from the Montpelier Business Association’s collaborative park with a sitting area and a bike blender, to Ondine Salon’s outside lounge and henna artist. Attendees repeatedly commented how fun it was to interact with businesses in such a different way.

And speaking of all the great parks, I am pleased to announce the park award winners:

Most Educational Park: Vermont Works for Women.

Most Creative Park: The North Branch Café.

Most Relaxing Park: Circle of International Women.

Most Recreational Park: Woodbury Mountain Toys.

I heard many great things throughout the day from assorted visitors; many people were excited to interact with the businesses that hosted parks, many were excited to be sitting on State Street in chairs instead of cars. But the most commonly repeated sentiment was how much fun it was to simply hang out with the community in the heart of the city. Hearing this all day was proof that we successfully created a Park in the Street, accomplishing everything we set out to do and more.

The Park in the Street is a huge undertaking and would not have been possible without our hardworking and tireless team of volunteers and staff. Thank you to the downtown improvement district grant that almost exclusively funded the event. Thanks also to 802 Toyota, 802 Honda and Twin City Subaru for their generous support and providing free cab service for attendees, and to all the city officials and employees who helped with everything from paperwork to barricading the road. This event would have a much taller task without all of your help.

Please see parkinthestreet.com/survey for a link to a survey. We invite all event participants and attendees to take a few minutes to give us your feedback. The Park in the Street is truly a community event, so your input is key to the long-term success of the event. Thank you in advance for your comments.